U.S. patent application number 13/435387 was filed with the patent office on 2012-10-04 for nanometer-scale optical imaging by the modulation tracking (mt) method.
This patent application is currently assigned to THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. Invention is credited to Michelle Digman, Enrico Gratton, Luca Lanzano.
Application Number | 20120250000 13/435387 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46926854 |
Filed Date | 2012-10-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120250000 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lanzano; Luca ; et
al. |
October 4, 2012 |
NANOMETER-SCALE OPTICAL IMAGING BY THE MODULATION TRACKING (MT)
METHOD
Abstract
An optical imaging method based on a feedback principle in which
the specific scan pattern is adapted according to the shape of the
sample. The feedback approach produces nanometer-resolved three
dimensional images of very small and moving features in live cells
and in a matter of seconds. Images of microvilli in live cultured
opossum kidney cells expressing NaPi co-transporter proteins with
different GFP constructs and images of cell protrusions in a
collagen matrix are produced with a resolution of about 20 nm.
Along cell protrusions in three dimensional cellular adhesions
could be identified to the extracellular matrix.
Inventors: |
Lanzano; Luca; (Irvine,
CA) ; Digman; Michelle; (Irvine, CA) ;
Gratton; Enrico; (San Clemente, CA) |
Assignee: |
THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA
Oakland
CA
|
Family ID: |
46926854 |
Appl. No.: |
13/435387 |
Filed: |
March 30, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61469715 |
Mar 30, 2011 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
356/5.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B82Y 35/00 20130101;
G02B 21/0012 20130101; G01N 21/6458 20130101; G02B 2207/113
20130101; G01B 9/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
356/5.1 |
International
Class: |
G01C 3/08 20060101
G01C003/08; G01B 11/24 20060101 G01B011/24 |
Goverment Interests
GOVERNMENT RIGHTS
[0002] This invention was made with Government support under Grant
Nos. P41-RR003155 and P50-GM076516 awarded by the National
Institutes of Health. The Government has certain rights in the
invention.
Claims
1. A method of optical imaging for producing a nanometer-resolved
three dimensional image of a feature of an object comprising:
oscillating a position of a laser spot having a cross section
characterized by a point spread function with a width, the laser
spot being oscillated at a scan position at a perpendicular
distance from a surface of the feature within the width of the
point spread function of the laser spot using feedback control of
the perpendicular distance; detecting a returned signal from the
feature of the object; measuring the perpendicular distance of the
laser spot from the surface in real time upon detection of the
returned signal using a modulation function; scanning the feature
of the object at a plurality of selective feedback controlled scan
positions and repeating oscillating, detecting and measuring in
repeated three dimensional scans to acquire an ensemble of
corresponding measured perpendicular distances; and constructing a
three dimensional image of the shape of the feature of the object
from the ensemble of corresponding measured perpendicular distances
and scan positions of the oscillating laser spot during
scanning.
2. The method of claim 1 where oscillating the position of a laser
spot at a perpendicular distance from the surface using feedback
control comprises moving the laser spot around the surface of the
feature in a circular orbit.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining the laser
spot a constant measured distance from the surface of the
feature.
4. The method of claim 2 where constructing the three dimensional
image of the shape of the feature comprises calculating the
distance from the circular orbit to the surface of the feature at a
plurality of angles therefrom to produce a polygon.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the feature of the object has an
axis and further comprising: moving the plane of the circular orbit
of the laser spot in the direction of the axis of the feature;
producing a plurality of polygons at a plurality of planes along
the axis of the feature; stacking the plurality of polygons to
provide a three dimensional mesh representing the three dimensional
structure of the feature; and covering the mesh with a texture.
6. The method of claim 1 where the surface is a fluorescent
surface, where the returned signal is a fluorescent signal, and
where producing nanometer-resolved three dimensional images of a
feature comprises producing nanometer-resolved three dimensional
images of small and sparse features of live cells.
7. The method of claim 1 where the surface is a fluorescent
surface, where the returned signal is a fluorescent signal, and
where producing nanometer-resolved three dimensional images of a
feature comprises producing nanometer-resolved three dimensional
images of cell protrusions in neurons, protrusions formed during
cell movements or other typical cellular structures like
microvilli, and the localization of specific molecules mapped on
the surface of the feature.
8. The method of claim 1 where the surface is a fluorescent
surface, where the returned signal is a fluorescent signal, and
further comprising performing fluorescence correlation spectroscopy
(FCS) while reconstructing the shape of the feature to measure
molecular diffusion within the feature.
9. The method of claim 1 where oscillating the position of a laser
spot at a distance from the surface of the feature using feedback
control further comprises using feedback according to the shape of
the surface of the feature.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein oscillating a known position of a
laser spot at a distance from a surface of the feature using
feedback control further comprises using the feedback control
without sample fixation.
11. The method of claim 1 where the surface is a fluorescent
surface, where the returned signal is a fluorescent signal, wherein
constructing the three dimensional image of the shape of the
feature comprises producing three dimensional images of moving
cellular structures of the feature.
12. The method of claim 1 where the surface is a fluorescent
surface, where the returned signal is a fluorescent signal, and
further comprising performing raster-scan image correlation
spectroscopy (RIGS) while constructing the three dimensional image
of the shape of the feature to measure molecular diffusion within
the feature.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein constructing the three
dimensional image of the shape of the feature comprises imagining
protein dynamics on the mobile cellular structures of the
feature.
14. The method of claim 1 further comprising producing a confocal
laser spot which can be rapidly moved in three dimensions.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein oscillating a position of the
laser spot comprises controlling the movement of the laser spot
along a software determined trajectory in response to a measured
modulation at a given position of the feature.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein constructing the three
dimensional image of the shape of the feature of the object
comprises a three dimensional image of the shape of non-fluorescent
structures of the feature of the object.
17. An apparatus to allow for the production of nanometer-resolved
three dimensional images of a feature of an object comprising: a
laser having a controllable laser spot having a cross section
characterized by a point spread function with a width; a circuit
coupled to the laser for oscillating the laser spot at a scan
position at a perpendicular distance from a fluorescent surface of
the feature within the width of the point spread function of the
laser spot using feedback control of the perpendicular distance; a
detector for receiving a returned signal from the fluorescent
surface of the feature; a software controlled circuit coupled to
the detector; and a scanner circuit coupled to the laser.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the software controlled
circuit performs fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to
measure molecular diffusion within the feature when the scanner
circuit is being operated to construct a three dimensional image of
the shape of the feature.
19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the software controlled
circuit performs raster-scan image correlation spectroscopy (RIGS)
to measure molecular diffusion within the feature when the scanner
circuit is being operated to reconstruct a three dimensional image
of the shape of the feature.
20. The apparatus of claim 17 where the laser is a confocal laser.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is related to U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 61/469,715, filed on Mar. 30, 2011,
which is incorporated herein by reference and to which priority is
claimed pursuant to 35 USC 119.
BACKGROUND
[0003] 1. Field of the Technology
[0004] The disclosure relates to the field of optical methods for
super-resolution imaging of live cells, specifically to an optical
imaging method based on a feedback principle in which the specific
scan pattern is adapted according to the shape of the sample which
produces nanometer-resolved three dimensional images of very small
and moving features in live cells and in a matter of seconds.
[0005] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0006] Several optical microscopy techniques have been previously
developed to "break" the diffraction limit and to produce
nanometer-resolved images. These techniques can be broadly
classified as "physical" techniques in which ingenious approaches
are used to break the diffraction limit. For example the STEO
(stimulated emission depletion) technique uses stimulated emission
to reduce the effective size of the PSF (point spread function).
Other methods have used the determination of the center of mass of
the fluorescence emission due to single molecules to obtain images
with nanometer resolution of cellular features. The PALM and the
STORM techniques and their variants also use this approach
[0007] Current methods in laser scanning confocal microscopy are
based on moving a laser spot in a predetermined pattern, for
example in a raster scan path, to obtain the intensity in each
point of a plane of focus. These scanning techniques are
inefficient however when the features to be imaged are at the
nanoscale and sparse since the scanning path crosses the object to
be imaged in only a few points. The efficiency of a predetermined
scanning pattern, defined as the ratio of the time the laser beam
is on a feature with respect to the total time of scanning, further
decreases in three dimensions. Live cell structures like
protrusions or microvilli are continually remodeled changing shape
and position. Current imaging methods, including the
super-resolution techniques known as STED and PALM, are inadequate
to detect the dynamic of chemical reactions in these tiny three
dimensional structures, which occur in the millisecond to second
time scale.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0008] The illustrated embodiments are directed to an optical
imaging method which does not scan the sample with a predetermined
pattern. Instead, the illustrated embodiments are based on a
feedback principle in which the path followed by the laser spot is
decided during the laser scan according to the shape of the
features of the object which is being scanned. The feedback
algorithm is designed to surf a laser spot with a known point
spread function at a constant distance from a fluorescent surface.
Since we know the position of the laser spot, its point spread
function, and the distance from the surface, we can reconstruct the
shape of the object. The uncertainty in the determination of the
shape of the object depends on the error in the determination of
the position of the laser spot, which is generally in the nanometer
range. This feedback imaging approach produces high quality three
dimensional images in seconds and does not require sample
fixation.
[0009] When an illumination spot approaches a fluorescent surface,
the total fluorescence emitted depends on the distance of the spot
from the surface, but also depends on the number of fluorophores on
the surface. Therefore, the fluorescence intensity alone cannot be
used to determine the distance of the spot from the fluorescent
surface. The center position of the spot is then rapidly oscillated
closely and perpendicularly to the surface, i.e. in a direction
perpendicular to the direction of the laser beam. Due to the
non-linear quasi Gaussian shape of the laser spot (the point spread
function, PSF), the modulation of the fluorescence caused by the
oscillating spot depends on the distance of the center of the spot
from the surface. The modulation of the fluorescence is the ratio
between an alternating part due to the rapid oscillation of the
spot and an average part due to the local fluorescence of the
surface. This method, called modulation tracking (MT), does not use
the diffraction of the light and therefore does not break the
diffraction limit. The sensitivity of MT to the distance of the
center of the laser spot from the fluorescent surface depends on
the precision of the measurement of the modulation function, which
depends on the total number of photons collected at each point of
the scan and on the slope of the modulation tracking function. The
slope depends on the spatial derivative of the PSF.
[0010] In one specific application of the MT technique, three
dimensional images of moving microvilli on the surface of opossum
kidney (OK) cells are shown. The study of microvilli structure and
dynamics in vivo is of great importance in biology and physiology
since the microvillus is a common motif found in kidneys, intestine
and lungs. The microvilli are several micrometer long structures
with a diameter of about 100 nm. Each cell has many microvilli that
appear at the apical membrane. The co-transporter proteins
NaPi-2a-Cerulean and NaPi-2c-YFP concentrate at the microvilli to
give rise to diffuse fluorescence as seen in confocal images. None
of the current nano-imaging optical methods are capable of
measuring the clustering dynamics of proteins on the surface of
rapidly moving (on the second time scale) microvilli. Instead the
MT method gives high resolution images of the moving microvilli and
shows transient differential clustering of the NaPi-2a and NaPi-2c
proteins using ratio imaging at the microvilli surface. The
diffusion of proteins molecules on the surface of microvilli using
fluctuation correlation spectroscopy performed during imaging was
also measured. However, it is to be expressly understood that the
scope of the invention is not limited to imaging microvilli or for
that matter features of cellular objects or cells, but may be
employed on any kind of nanometer sized moving feature.
[0011] In another specific embodiment, the MT technique produces
three dimensional images of cell protrusions in which cells form
adhesion with the extracellular matrix. In this case the
protrusions could be very long (20-50 um) and the diameter is
variable (0.2 um to 1 um). For the images of protrusions we also
show simultaneous data acquisition in two colors.
[0012] In our implementation of the MT imaging methodology, the
first step is to obtain an overall image of the area of the sample
which is being studied; which is done using the common raster scan
operation of the laser scanning microscope. Next, then each sample
is analyzed to scan a specific structure in three dimensions. For
example, in the case of the imaging of a microvillus, we first
obtain a confocal image of the apical membrane and then we start
the local three dimensional imaging at one microvillus.
[0013] The current invention provides for a method of optical
imaging for producing a nanometer-resolved three dimensional image
of a feature of an object including oscillating a position of a
laser spot having a cross section characterized by a point spread
function with a width, the laser spot being oscillated at a scan
position at a perpendicular distance from a surface of the feature
within the width of the point spread function of the laser spot
using feedback control of the perpendicular distance. A returned
signal is then detected from the feature of the object and the
perpendicular distance of the laser spot from the surface is
measured in real time upon detection of the returned signal using a
modulation function. The feature of the object is scanned at a
plurality of selective feedback controlled scan positions. This
oscillating, detecting and measuring in repeated three dimensional
scans is done several times to acquire an ensemble of corresponding
measured perpendicular distances. Finally, a three dimensional
image of the shape of the feature of the object is constructed from
the ensemble of corresponding measured perpendicular distances and
scan positions of the oscillating laser spot during scanning.
[0014] In a separate embodiment, the method step of oscillating the
position of a laser spot at a perpendicular distance from the
surface using feedback control includes moving the laser spot
around the surface of the feature in a circular orbit. The three
dimensional image of the shape of the feature may also be
constructed by calculating the distance from the circular orbit to
the surface of the feature at a plurality of angles therefrom to
produce a polygon. In this embodiment, the feature of the object
has an axis and the method may also further include moving the
plane of the circular orbit of the laser spot in the direction of
the axis of the feature, producing a plurality of polygons at a
plurality of planes along the axis of the feature, stacking the
plurality of polygons to provide a three dimensional mesh
representing the three dimensional structure of the feature, and
then covering the mesh with a texture.
[0015] In another embodiment, the method further includes
maintaining the laser spot a constant measured distance from the
surface of the feature.
[0016] In yet another embodiment, the method step of where the
surface is a fluorescent surface, where the returned signal is a
fluorescent signal, and where producing nanometer-resolved three
dimensional images of a feature all include producing
nanometer-resolved three dimensional images of small and sparse
features of live cells.
[0017] In a further embodiment, the method step of where the
surface is a fluorescent surface, where the returned signal is a
fluorescent signal, and where producing nanometer-resolved three
dimensional images of a feature includes producing
nanometer-resolved three dimensional images of cell protrusions in
neurons, protrusions formed during cell movements or other typical
cellular structures like microvilli, and the localization of
specific molecules mapped on the surface of the feature.
[0018] In yet another embodiment, the method step of where the
surface is a fluorescent surface, where the returned signal is a
fluorescent signal, further includes performing fluorescence
correlation spectroscopy (FCS) while reconstructing the shape of
the feature to measure molecular diffusion within the feature.
[0019] In yet another embodiment, the method step of oscillating
the position of a laser spot at a distance from the surface of the
feature using feedback control further includes using feedback
according to the shape of the surface of the feature.
[0020] In a separate embodiment, the method step of oscillating a
known position of a laser spot at a distance from a surface of the
feature using feedback control further includes using the feedback
control without sample fixation.
[0021] In another embodiment, the method step of where the surface
is a fluorescent surface, where the returned signal is a
fluorescent signal, wherein constructing the three dimensional
image of the shape of the feature includes producing three
dimensional images of moving cellular structures of the
feature.
[0022] In another embodiment, the method step of where the surface
is a fluorescent surface, where the returned signal is a
fluorescent signal, further includes performing raster-scan image
correlation spectroscopy (RIGS) while constructing the three
dimensional image of the shape of the feature to measure molecular
diffusion within the feature.
[0023] In another embodiment, the method step of constructing the
three dimensional image of the shape of the feature includes
imagining protein dynamics on the mobile cellular structures of the
feature.
[0024] In yet another embodiment, the method further includes
producing a confocal laser spot which can be rapidly moved in three
dimensions.
[0025] In another embodiment, the method step of oscillating a
position of the laser spot includes controlling the movement of the
laser spot along a software determined trajectory in response to a
measured modulation at a given position of the feature.
[0026] Lastly, the method step of constructing the three
dimensional image of the shape of the feature of the object may
also include a three dimensional image of the shape of
non-fluorescent structures of the feature of the object.
[0027] The current invention also provides for an apparatus to
allow for the production of nanometer-resolved three dimensional
images of a feature of an object. The apparatus includes a laser
having a controllable laser spot having a cross section
characterized by a point spread function with a width and a circuit
coupled to the laser for oscillating the laser spot at a scan
position at a perpendicular distance from a fluorescent surface of
the feature within the width of the point spread function of the
laser spot using feedback control of the perpendicular distance. A
detector for receiving a returned signal from the fluorescent
surface of the feature is also present, along with a software
controlled circuit coupled to the detector, and a scanner circuit
coupled to the laser.
[0028] In one particular embodiment, the software controlled
circuit of the apparatus performs fluorescence correlation
spectroscopy (FCS) to measure molecular diffusion within the
feature when the scanner circuit is being operated to construct a
three dimensional image of the shape of the feature.
[0029] In another embodiment, the software controlled circuit of
the apparatus performs raster-scan image correlation spectroscopy
(RIGS) to measure molecular diffusion within the feature when the
scanner circuit is being operated to reconstruct a three
dimensional image of the shape of the feature.
[0030] In yet another embodiment, the laser of the apparatus is a
confocal laser.
[0031] While the apparatus and method has or will be described for
the sake of grammatical fluidity with functional explanations, it
is to be expressly understood that the claims, unless expressly
formulated under 35 USC 112, are not to be construed as necessarily
limited in any way by the construction of "means" or "steps"
limitations, but are to be accorded the full scope of the meaning
and equivalents of the definition provided by the claims under the
judicial doctrine of equivalents, and in the case where the claims
are expressly formulated under 35 USC 112 are to be accorded full
statutory equivalents under 35 USC 112. The disclosure can be
better visualized by turning now to the following drawings wherein
like elements are referenced by like numerals.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] The specification contains at least one drawing executed in
color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with
color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and
payment of the necessary fee.
[0033] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of the modulation tracking
technique of the current invention, specifically how the laser is
moved about a circular orbit about the feature to be imaged.
[0034] FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of how the radius of the
orbit is modulated at high frequency.
[0035] FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of how the small oscillation
of the radius effectively computes the spatial derivative.
[0036] FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of how as the laser goes
around the feature, the local modulation function gives the
distance of the surface from the average orbit.
[0037] FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram of how the orbital plane is
moved along the cylinder axis of the feature.
[0038] FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram of a polygon produced by an
orbital plane shown in FIG. 2B.
[0039] FIG. 2D is a schematic diagram a mesh created by a plurality
of stacked polygons shown in FIG. 2C.
[0040] FIG. 3A is a color image showing an x-y plane image of an OK
cell expressing NaPi-2a-Cerulean obtained by the current
invention.
[0041] FIG. 3B is a color image showing an x-z plane image the cell
seen in FIG. 3A obtained by the current invention.
[0042] FIG. 3C is a color image showing a reconstructed three
dimensional image of one microvillus using the current
invention.
[0043] FIG. 4 is a color plot of the dynamics of the center of mass
of one microvillus imaged by the current invention.
[0044] FIG. 5 is a color distribution of fluorescence distribution
of NaPi-2a-Cerulean along a microvillus in the left panel, and a
color distribution of the same microvillus painted according to the
normalized ratio function of the intensities in the two channels in
the right panel.
[0045] FIG. 6A is a color image of the result of the dynamic RIGS
(Raster-scan Image Correlation Spectroscopy) analysis performed by
the current invention to observe the motion of molecules on a
microvilli membrane surface.
[0046] FIG. 6B is a 3D color image of the 2D results seen in FIG.
6A.
[0047] FIG. 7A is a color image of a protrusion of a MB231 cell
expressing Paxillin-EGFP growing in a three dimensional collagen
matrix obtained by the current invention.
[0048] FIG. 7B is a magnified color image of the protrusion seen in
FIG. 7A at the nanometer scale.
[0049] The disclosure and its various embodiments can now be better
understood by turning to the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiments which are presented as illustrated examples
of the embodiments defined in the claims. It is expressly
understood that the embodiments as defined by the claims may be
broader than the illustrated embodiments described below.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0050] The illustrated embodiments include an optical imaging
method for producing nanometer-resolved three dimensional images of
very small and moving features in live cells and in a matter of
seconds. The method keeps the laser spot at a constant distance
from a fluorescent surface using feedback control. The distance
from the surface is determined in real time during the acquisition.
Since the position of the laser spot and the distance from the
surface is known, the shape of the object can be reconstructed.
[0051] One of the objects of the illustrated embodiments is to
image small and sparse features of live cells. These features can
be cell protrusions, typical of cell types like neurons, protrusion
forming during cell movements or other typical cellular structures
like microvilli. The shape of these features are reconstructed with
nanometer resolution and the localization of specific molecules
mapped on their surface. This approach to nano-imaging allows us to
perform fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), while imaging
to measure molecular diffusion within the cellular structures.
[0052] Instead of moving the laser spot in a predetermined pattern,
we use a feedback principle in which the scanning pattern is
decided during the scan according to the shape of features present
in the sample.
[0053] Because the optical imaging method does not scan the sample
with a predetermined pattern and is based on a feedback principle
in which the path followed by the laser spot is decided during the
scan according to the shape of objects present in the sample, it is
very efficient for the imaging of small cellular structures. This
feedback imaging approach produces high quality three dimensional
images in seconds and does not require sample fixation. The method
produces three dimensional images of moving cellular structures. It
works with live cells and is compatible with correlation techniques
like FCS and RICS. The method is able to follow protein dynamics on
mobile cellular structures where important biochemical reactions
may occur.
[0054] Thus, the method is usable in biology, biophotonics, and
biomedical research for fast high quality three dimensional
imaging. This method can be implemented in microscopes that produce
a small illumination spot such as confocal and two-photon
excitation microscopes and where the spot can be rapidly moved in
three dimensions. The implementation of the method only requires
the appropriate software to move the scanner along specific
trajectories in response to a measured modulation at a given
position. The illustrated embodiments can be used for the imaging
of many kinds of cellular structures which are important for
specific cell functions. Examples include protrusions typical of
cell types like neurons, protrusions forming during cell movement,
and epithelial cell microvilli. The imaging of cell protrusions can
be performed on live cells to study molecular interactions and
dynamics governing such processes as synapse formation or cell
migration. Imaging of microvilli on kidney or intestine cells is
relevant for understanding the basic molecular interactions
regulating absorption of nutrients. The method can also be used in
tissues, if coupled to a microscope which is capable of imaging in
depth. In principle the method can also be used to image
nonfluorescent structures, using any optical signal detectable with
a scanning microscope, for instance second harmonic generation
(SHG) or reflection.
[0055] There are two aspects of the modulation tracking technique
that allow us 1) to track the average position of the structure we
are imaging and 2) to determine the three dimensional shape of the
object. The feedback orbital technique that allows tracking of
rapidly moving fluorescent particles in three dimensions is well
known. For a point particle, we showed that the center of mass can
be measured with an error that depends on the width of the PSF and
the total intensity that can be collected along an orbit. This
error is on the order of nanometers for reasonably bright
structures. In the case of a microvillus, we have many fluorescent
molecules on the membrane and the intensity is about 10.sup.5 to
10.sup.6 counts/s which results in nanometer precision of the
center of mass of the microvilli. In the MT technique the orbital
motion is used to track the position of the center of mass of a
fluorescence distribution, namely the microvillus center at a given
height.
[0056] FIGS. 1A and 2A are schematics which illustrate the current
modulation tracking technique. To obtain the shape of the feature
12 at one particular orbital plane, we rapidly oscillate the radius
of the orbit 14 and then we determine the distance of the object
surface 12 from the orbit 14 using the modulation function. The
laser spot 16 preferably oscillates along the orbit 14 path
according to a trajectory as determined by programmable software as
is known in the art. FIGS. 1A-1C shows the principle of the
measurement and the physical origin of the modulation function. The
modulation changes approximately linearly up to about 500 nm from
the surface of the feature 12. At larger distances the intensity
becomes too small for the modulation to be useful. This range
depends on the size of the PSF. The modulation can be measured with
1% error at the light levels of our experiments, which results in
about 10 nm error for the determination of the distance of the
fluorescent surface.
[0057] FIG. 1A shows that the scanner is programmed to move the
laser beam spot 16 around a microvillus or other feature 12 to be
imaged in a circular orbit 14, the orbit 14 comprising a radius
larger than the average radius of the feature 12 which is modeled
as a cylinder in the figure. It should pointed out however that the
feature 12 is modeled as a cylinder for illustrative purposes only.
Other models approximating other shapes known to those skilled in
the art may be used without departing from the original spirit and
scope of the invention. The radius of the orbit 14 is modulated at
high frequency as shown in FIG. 1B. When the illumination spot 16
approaches the surface of the microvillus 12, due to the modulation
of the orbit radius 14, the fluorescence intensity increases as
schematically shown in FIG. 1B. The small oscillation of the radius
effectively computes the spatial derivative as shown in FIG. 1C.
Curve A represents the intensity profile of the spot 16 (the PSF).
Curve B represents the spatial derivative of the intensity profile.
Curve C is the ratio of Curve A to Curve B. This ratio is the
modulation function which depends on the distance from the surface
of the feature 12. The modulation function increases quasi-linearly
as a function of the distance from the surface of the feature 12.
By providing a feedback to the average orbit radius 14 we can
maintain the modulation constant, for example at a value of 0.5.
The modulation function gives the distance of the surface of the
feature 12 according to Curve C for every value of the
modulation.
[0058] FIGS. 2A-2C are schematics of the method to determine the
three dimensional shape of the feature or object 12. FIG. 2A
illustrates that as we go around the feature 12, the local
modulation function gives the distance of the surface from the
average orbit 14. In FIG. 2A, the modulation value is converted in
distance from the orbit 14 according to the modulation function
that was calculated using simulated uniform cylindrical
distribution of fluorescence and further verified using empty
capsule fluorescent beads. This distance is calculated at several
angles giving a polygon which is used to approximate the shape of
the surface of the feature 12 at the orbital plane 20. This polygon
is then interpolated to 128 points to produce a smooth line as
shown in FIG. 2B. The orbital plane 20 is then moved along the
cylinder axis. For each plane 20 we produce a polygon 18 as shown
in FIG. 2C. A plurality of polygons 18 are then stacked to provide
a mesh 22 which represents the three dimensional structure of the
object 12 we are imaging as shown in FIG. 2D. The three dimensional
mesh 22 is covered by a texture given by a specific quantity like
the fluorescence intensity or the intensity ratio of two
channels.
[0059] This procedure produces a polygonal shape 18, mapping the
fluorescent surface at a given orbital plane 20. The number of
points of the polygon 18 depends on the number of oscillations of
the radius during one orbit. We use a number of oscillations
between 8 and 32, depending on the size of the object 12. The
polygon 18 is interpolated to 128 points to produce a smooth line.
We then move the orbit plane 20 in the direction of the axis of the
feature 12 we are examining, which is the vertical axis represented
by arrow 24 in the case of microvilli seen in FIG. 2B. A new
polygon 18 is obtained and the process continues until we reach the
end of the feature 12, indicated by a sudden drop of the
fluorescence intensity below a given threshold. The stack of
polygons 18 obtained form 3-dimensional mesh 22 that directly
corresponds to the shape of the object seen in FIG. 2C.
[0060] Once the three dimensional mesh 22 has been determined with
nanometer resolution we add a texture to the mesh 22 according to
selected functions such as the fluorescence intensity or
fluorescence ratio as seen in FIG. 2D. We note that although the
shape of the feature 12 can be determined with nanometer precision,
the resolution of molecules (or cluster of molecules) on the
feature 12 surface is limited by diffraction. In principle we could
use the super-resolution techniques mentioned in the introduction
to increase the resolution of the distribution of the fluorescence
at the feature 12 surface or use deconvolution techniques, in order
to determine the distribution of different molecular species on the
surface.
[0061] The resolution of the shape of the feature 12 along the
z-axis (the long axis of a microvillus, for example) depends in
part on the size of the illumination spot 16. We performed
simulations of cylinders with a step change in diameter from 100 nm
to 180 nm radius. In every case we were able to recover the
cylinder diameter within 10 nm, but the transition between the two
radii was occurring during a length approximately equal to the
axial waist of the PSF. If the feature 12 is horizontal, the
resolution of the step depends on the radial waist of the PSF,
which is generally a factor of 3 smaller than in the axial
direction.
[0062] The current MT method does not require fixed samples. One
segment of the feature 12 can be measured in about 16 ms in our
system. Even for a fast moving microvilli (i.e., in the second
range) can be imaged. The three dimensional image is obtained
directly from the mesh 22 given by moving the position of the orbit
20 along the axis of the feature 12 (that is, up and down the
microvillus). The scanning of a cylindrical surface is equivalent
to the raster scan of a flat surface without retracing. Therefore
we apply the principles of raster-scan image correlation
spectroscopy (RIGS) to obtain the diffusion and concentration of
fluorescent molecules on the microvillus surface making MT a truly
dynamic nanoimaging technique. The MT technique has the capability
to identify specific molecules on the surface of the feature 12,
including their clustering and dynamics in a millisecond time
scale.
[0063] There are other optical techniques capable of measuring the
height of structures based on interferometric measurements and
optical profilometry. These techniques have very high resolution in
the direction parallel to the light propagation while the
resolution in the x-y plane is limited by diffraction.
Interferometric techniques don't allow the reconstruction of three
dimensional objects like
microvilli or cell protrusion at the nanometer scale. Also,
interferometry is based on reflectivity and suffers from lack of
selectivity attained by fluorescence.
[0064] The following description relates to the nanoimaging of a
microvillus, however it should expressly understood that other
objects or biomedical samples may also be the subject of the
present method without departing from the original spirit and scope
of the invention. FIG. 3A-3C shows images obtained using the Zeiss
LSM510 microscope taken in the x-y plane and x-z plane of OK cells
transfected with NaPi-2a-Cerulean and the three dimensional
reconstruction using the current MT technique. The microvilli can
be barely identified in the confocal images since they are too
small to be resolved and also because they are moving. The x-z
image shows the microvilli extending for about 5 um as seen in FIG.
3A. FIG. 3A also shows an x-y plane image of OK cell expressing
NaPi-2a-Cerulean. The microvilli appear as the roundish bright
areas in this projection. For the three dimensional MT imaging the
scanner was centered at one microvillus, in a region with few
sparse microvilli. Then the tracking routine was started. The
z-position of the orbit 14 was moved for a height of about 2 um in
10 s starting at the base of the villus. Detail of the same cell
imaged in the x-z plane showing adjacent microvilli may be seen in
FIG. 3B. The color scale in FIGS. 3A and 3B corresponds to 0 to 256
levels of the analog output of the LSM 510 microscope.
[0065] FIG. 3C shows the reconstructed three dimensional image of
one microvillus using the current MT technique. The surface of the
recovered image is painted according to the fluorescence intensity.
The surface was reconstructed at a resolution of 2 nm for the
center of the microvillus and about 20 nm for the radius. This
nanometer three dimensional reconstruction of the microvillus shows
a convoluted tortuous structure. The average diameter of the
microvillus is about 100 nm. The protein concentration, as judged
from the fluorescence intensity, changes along the microvillus. The
region reconstructed is about 2 um long. The color scale of FIG. 3C
corresponds to 0-256 KHz of the photon counting acquisition
electronics of the M5 microscope. The brightest part is toward the
base of the microvillus. Note the non-uniform distribution of the
fluorescence along the microvillus.
[0066] Not all microvilli have the same tortuosity. Some of the
microvilli appear straighter. When we scanned the same microvillus
back and forth, we found that the microvillus moved during the
scan. The time scale of movement also changed among the microvilli.
All the microvilli moved during a 20s scan. Some of the microvilli
show regions of higher fluorescence intensity along the surface,
indicating that clustering of the protein was occurring. The
typical dynamics of the center of mass of one microvillus is shown
in FIG. 4. In this experiment the z-coordinate was kept constant
and the feedback mechanism kept the orbit 14 centered on the
microvillus at a given height. The microvillus moves about 100 nm
in the y direction and 200 nm in the x direction over the course of
this experiment. The trace of the microvillus center of mass is
painted with colors that change every 5 s, demonstrating the
relatively fast motion of the microvillus and the recovery of the
center of mass of the microvillus position with nanometer
resolution.
[0067] The MT method allows imaging of the protein distribution on
the microvillar membrane. We imaged microvilli in OK cells
co-transfected with NaPi-2a-Cerulean and NaPi-2c-YFP. For the
example shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the length of the orbit 14 is
1.256 um. We can clearly distinguish that the fluorescence
distribution of NaPi-2a-Cerulean is not uniform along this
microvillus as seen in the left panel of FIG. 5. Along the
microvillus, the fluorescence is distributed along bands that seem
to concentrate in only one side of the microvillus at the
microvillus base. The size of the protein patches shown in FIG. 5
is determined by the PSF. Therefore the actual size of these
domains could be smaller.
[0068] The right panel of FIG. 5 shows the image of the same
microvillus painted according to the normalized ratio function of
the intensities in the two channels or GP. The GP image is
relatively uniform along the circumference of the microvillus but
has bands along the microvillus length showing that the two
proteins are not equally distributed along the microvillus. The
width of the structures along the microvillus is on the order of
250 nm, again consistent with the size of the illumination spot 16.
These structures are dynamic, as they can disappear or appear at a
different location when we image a microvillus at subsequent times,
for example at .DELTA.t=20 s.
[0069] We are performing a circular scanning of the feature 12 at
relatively high speed. Every pixel is measured for about 62.5
microseconds and pixels along the orbit 14 are separated by 0.01
um. We performed a dynamic RIGS (Raster-scan Image Correlation
Spectroscopy) analysis as seen in FIG. 6A to observe the motion of
molecules on the microvilli membrane surface. We found that
Cerulean-NaPi2c has a local diffusion coefficient of about 0.02
um.sup.2/s using a model for 2D diffusion as seen in FIG. 6B.
[0070] FIG. 7A shows the image of a protrusion of a MB231 cell
expressing Paxillin-EGFP growing in a three dimensional collagen
matrix. We first image a large field using the raster scan path and
then we "dive in" to image the three dimensional protrusion at the
nanoscale as seen in FIG. 7B. The protrusion has a larger diameter
than a microvillus and also the diameter changes along the
protrusion. The fluorescence intensity is larger at some specific
regions along the cell body, presumably where the cell contacts the
collagen.
[0071] In the current MT technique the position of a fluorescent
surface is determined by the modulation of the fluorescence signal
as a function of the distance from the surface. Since the intensity
as a function of the distance from the surface changes
non-linearly, using the modulation of the light we effectively
measure the derivative of the fluorescence intensity as a function
of the distance from the surface with relatively high precision. We
then produce a topographical map of the fluorescent surface using
the modulation function. In the case of microvilli imaging, we
measure the deviation of the center of mass and the deviations of
the radius with nanometer accuracy. This is possible because we
transformed the measurement of the shape of the microvilli in the
measurement of the topography of its surface. Instead, in the
direction along the microvillus surface the topographical
resolution cannot be any better than the size of the spot 16 used.
However, established methods as these based on deconvolution or
super-resolution can be used to locate fluorophores on the surface
of the membrane with higher resolution. Since the current MT
technique is based on the measurement of the modulation function
(ratio of the alternate to the constant part), bleaching of the
fluorescence at the surface has a minimal effect on the
determination of the three dimensional shape.
[0072] The current MT technique may also be applied to quasi
cylindrical structures. For this symmetrical shape, the MT feedback
method is particularly efficient. However, the method could be
applied to arbitrarily shaped surfaces since the feedback based on
the modulation function moves the illumination spot 16 at a
constant distance from the surface. There is a limit in the speed
of scanning of the surface, which depends on the galvo scanner used
in our instrument for the modulation in the xy plane and of the
piezo that we use to move the laser spot 16 along the z-axis. In
our instrument the maximum scanning frequency we can achieve is
about 2 kHz in the x-y direction and 200 Hz in the z direction,
respectively. Another consideration is that the shape of the PSF is
different in the radial and in the axial direction of the
microscope. Since the shape of the PSF only determines the slope of
the PSF and this slope is measured independently, the shape of the
PSF is taken into account in the feedback algorithm and therefore
the shape of the object is determined accurately in the three
directions. However, as noted before, the error in the
determination of the surface position is larger in the radial
direction. Interestingly, the resolution of steps in shape changes
is better when the cylindrical object is laying horizontally since
the PSF is narrow in the radial direction.
[0073] The current MT imaging approach can also be applied to live
cells. The motion of the microvilli is tracked and the assignment
of the fluorescence intensity to a voxel in space and time is
accurate with respect to the microvillus surface. Scanning along
the surface provides direct visualization of how proteins are
distributed on a three dimensional membrane structure like the
microvillus, a feature that can be important for the study of the
NaPi transporters regulation and more in general for studying
membrane micro domain organization. More importantly, the circular
scanning along the membrane surface allows fluorescence image
correlation techniques to be applied. Since the microvillus is
always at the center of the orbit 20, if we keep the z-axis
constant, we can measure the fluorescence along the orbit and the
fluorescence fluctuations due to the diffusion of molecules. This
is equivalent of the RIGS scanning experiment. It provides
information about the diffusion and the brightness of the
fluorescent molecules in the membrane. This is a unique possibility
offered by the MT approach.
[0074] The current MT method can be implemented in microscopes that
produce a small illumination spot 16 such as confocal and 2-photon
excitation microscopes and where the spot 16 can be rapidly moved
in three dimensions. The implementation of the method only requires
the appropriate software to move the scanner along specific
trajectories in response to a measured modulation at a given
position. The three dimensional structure of the surface of a
microvillus 12 is obtained with much higher resolution than
techniques based on the localization of fluorescent molecules. The
method works in the presence of many molecules and it does not
require a particular hardware or high illumination power.
[0075] The strength of the current MT technique is its capability
to follow molecular events such as diffusion and interactions
directly in three dimensions at a time and spatial scale that
cannot be obtained with current optical techniques. There is
growing interest in live cell imaging to display cellular processes
at the millisecond to second time scale. The current MT imaging
technique is exquisitely dynamic and therefore ideal for the study
of such processes. Since MT is essentially a tracking technique, it
is very efficient for imaging objects that are spatially isolated,
while it is difficult to use in a crowded field.
[0076] A specific example for carrying out the current MT method is
given below. Opossum kidney (OK) cell culture was performed as
discussed above. Briefly, cells were grown in Dulbecco's modified
Eagle's medium (DMEM/F12) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum,
penicillin, streptomycin and L-glutamine in a humidified 5%
CO.sub.2-95% air atmosphere incubator at 37.degree. C.
Transfections and cotransfections were achieved with Lipofectamine
2000 (Invitrogen) and cells at 90% confluency, following the
manufacturer's instructions. OK cells expressing the fluorescent
fusion proteins were grown on poly-L-lysine-coated eight-well
Lab-Tek chambered coverglass (Nunc). Measurements were performed
24-48 hours after transfection. Type I rat tail collagen was
prepared with 10.times.PBS and H.sub.20 at 2.5 mg/ml final
concentration and adjusted to pH=7.4 using 10N NaOH. MDA MB231
stable cells lines expressing paxillin-EGFP at a concentration of
0.25.times.10.sup.6 were mixed with the collagen and allowed to
polymerize for 1 hour at 25.degree. C. without FBS supplemented
media. Then they were incubated at 37.degree. C. overnight before
imaging.
[0077] A Zeiss 510 LSM microscope (Jena, Germany), equipped with a
Confocor 3 unit and the META detector was used for the x-y and x-z
images. The argon ion laser with excitation at 456 nm (2% power)
and 514 nm (0.5% power) was used to excite the cerulean and the YFP
constructs, respectively. Images were obtained in the 256.times.256
format with a pixel dwell time of 12.5 us and a zoom of 12. Data
were saved in the Ism format and further processed by the SimFCS
software (www.lfd.uci.edu, UCI, Irvine). For the x-z images the
"fast z" acquisition mode of the LSM 510 was used. The modulation
tracking system was implemented in the M5 microscope at the LFD
previously described. Briefly, this microscope is built around an
Olympus X71 body. The light source is a Chameleon Ultra II laser
(Coherent, CA) that produces 2-photon excitation of the cerulean
and the YFP constructs. The laser power was set between 20 and 30
mW, measured before entering the microscope. The laser wavelength
was set at 820 and 940 nm for cerulean and YFP excitation,
respectively. Two GaAS detector H7241P (Hamamatsu, Japan) were used
to acquire the fluorescence in the 380-480 nm range and 500-550 nm
for the two channels, respectively. The galvano scanner (Cambridge
Technology, MA) was driven by the ISS-3axis card (ISS, Champaign
Ill.) as well as the piezo z-axis (Phisik Instrument, Germany). The
circular orbital pattern and the modulation pattern was stored in
the memory of the ISS-3axis card and the center offset in the x-y
position was updated according to the tracking mechanism every 16
ms. The fluorescence intensity at 128 points along the orbit 20 was
collected at a sampling rate of 8 kHZ. The modulation of the orbit
20 was set at a period of 2 ms. We determined that the 3 dB point
of the scanner response in the x-y plane was 3 ms. We used an
amplitude modulation for the modulation tracking that gives 10%
modulation of the orbit radius. The orbit radius was initially set
at different values between 200 nm and 400 nm, depending on the
diameter of the microvillus 12. The feedback mechanism changed the
radius until a constant modulation of 10% was obtained along the
orbit 20. Under this condition the laser spot 16 is travelling at a
constant distance from the fluorescent surface. Then the plane of
the orbit 20 is moved along the surface 12 cylindrical axis. The
local direction of the surface axis is obtained by comparing the
center of the orbit 20 at two different positions along the axis.
If the object 12 starts to bend, then the direction of the
subsequent orbit 20 is changed so that the orbit 20 is always
perpendicular to the axis of the object and centered on the axis.
The PSF of our instrument at any given experimental condition
(wavelength of excitation, laser power, etc) was measured prior to
each tracking measurement using 20 nm beads fixed on a slide. The
size of the PSF only influences the amount of modulation of the MT
technique but it does not affect the size of the objects that were
imaged. The calibration of the modulation tracking function was
performed using fluorescent beads shells of known diameter (15 um
diameter, Invitrogen Carlsbad Calif.). Most of the measurements
were done using an air objective (Olympus, 0.9NA x60 W). The
position of the orbit plane along the object axis was moved with a
ramp function that is variable in amplitude and period. The
amplitude was set between 1 um to 3 um and the period between 1 s
and 20 s, depending on the experiments. The initial position of the
circular orbit 20 was set by first acquiring an x-y image at a
given z position and then pointing with the mouse to one feature
that we recognized to be a microvillus 12. Then the tracking of the
center of the microvillus 12 and the ramping along the microvillus
12 height are done. In live samples, the center of mass of the
microvillus 12 moves during the time needed to acquire the three
dimensional image. Repeating the scan up-down of the same
microvillus 12 many times provided a movie of the three dimensional
position of the villus 12. The intensity along the cylindrical
surface is modulated according to the number of oscillations of the
radius used during one orbit (generally 8). This modulation of the
intensity is easily removed using a notch filter of the appropriate
frequency.
[0078] Many alterations and modifications may be made by those
having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit
and scope of the embodiments. Therefore, it must be understood that
the illustrated embodiment has been set forth only for the purposes
of example and that it should not be taken as limiting the
embodiments as defined by the following embodiments and its various
embodiments.
[0079] Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated
embodiment has been set forth only for the purposes of example and
that it should not be taken as limiting the embodiments as defined
by the following claims. For example, notwithstanding the fact that
the elements of a claim are set forth below in a certain
combination, it must be expressly understood that the embodiments
includes other combinations of fewer, more or different elements,
which are disclosed in above even when not initially claimed in
such combinations. A teaching that two elements are combined in a
claimed combination is further to be understood as also allowing
for a claimed combination in which the two elements are not
combined with each other, but may be used alone or combined in
other combinations. The excision of any disclosed element of the
embodiments is explicitly contemplated as within the scope of the
embodiments.
[0080] The words used in this specification to describe the various
embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their
commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in
this specification structure, material or acts beyond the scope of
the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood
in the context of this specification as including more than one
meaning, then its use in a claim must be understood as being
generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and
by the word itself.
[0081] The definitions of the words or elements of the following
claims are, therefore, defined in this specification to include not
only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but
all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing
substantially the same function in substantially the same way to
obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore
contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more
elements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims
below or that a single element may be substituted for two or more
elements in a claim. Although elements may be described above as
acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such,
it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a
claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the
combination and that the claimed combination may be directed to a
subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
[0082] Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as
viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or
later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently
within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions
now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are
defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.
[0083] The claims are thus to be understood to include what is
specifically illustrated and described above, what is
conceptionally equivalent, what can be obviously substituted and
also what essentially incorporates the essential idea of the
embodiments.
* * * * *